GAO report finds cyber weakness in FAA security systems

A new report published yesterday by the Government Accountability Office has outlined serious weaknesses in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control systems from cyber-based and other threats. The report states that although the FAA has made improvements to cyber security, “significant security control weaknesses remain, threatening the agency’s ability to ensure the safe and uninterrupted operation of the national airspace system (NAS)”. These include weaknesses in controls intended to prevent, limit, and detect unauthorised access to computer resources, such as controls for protecting system boundaries, identifying and authenticating users, authorising users to access systems, encrypting sensitive data, and